Yamaha's First Victory! Carter Thompson Wins Solo in WorldSPB Cremona Race 2

In Race 2 of the FIM Sportbike World Championship (WorldSPB) held in Cremona, Italy, Carter Thompson of Team BrCorse secured his first victory. This win also marks Yamaha's first victory in the class, pushing the championship battle to the final round. Race 1 on the previous day was won by Xavi Artigas of MTM Kawasaki.

Thompson Achieves First Class Victory by Pulling Away from the Field

In Race 2 of the FIM Sportbike World Championship (WorldSPB) held in Cremona, Carter Thompson (Yamaha) of Team BrCorse achieved his first victory. This win was a memorable first victory in the class for both Thompson himself and Yamaha. Finishing with a massive 5.305-second lead over second place, it is recorded as the largest margin of victory in WorldSPB history. Additionally, Thompson set a new lap record with a fastest lap of 1:36.157.

Taking second place was Xavi Artigas of MTM Kawasaki, marking his sixth podium of the season and his third consecutive one. Ferre Fleerackers of Track & Trace Wix Racing followed in third, standing on the podium for the third time this season since Assen. While pole-sitter Artigas and others engaged in a fierce battle for the lead from the start, Thompson took the lead at Turn 7 after a three-lap duel with Fleerackers and proceeded to pull away from the rest of the field.

The battle for fourth was also intense, with Alvaro Fuertes edging out David Salvador of Team Prodina Kawasaki XCI by just 0.002 seconds just before the finish line. As a result, Fuertes finished fourth, 5.583 seconds behind the leader, while championship leader Salvador took the checkered flag in fifth. Additionally, Juan Lliseno of Pons Motorsport Italica Racing climbed from 16th on the grid to finish 6th, achieving his best result of the season.

On the other hand, accidents occurred early in the race. Matteo Vannucci of Revo M2 was caught in the gravel early on and retired. Furthermore, Harrison Dessoy and Loris Veneman of MTM Kawasaki collided and crashed at Turn 2, with both riders retiring. Veneman was transported to the medical center and is awaiting treatment. Elia Bartolini also fell at the final Turn 13 on the sixth lap and ended his race.

Artigas Wins Saturday's Race 1

In Race 1 held on Saturday, the start was chaotic as pole-sitter Thompson lost his balance significantly in the first sector and dropped back. By the final stages, it developed into a six-rider battle for the lead, but Xavi Artigas of MTM Kawasaki took the checkered flag in first. Harrison Dessoy of PHR Performance Triumph finished second, 0.108 seconds behind, earning his second podium of the season. The battle for third went down to the final corner, with Salvador holding off Seabright by 0.088 seconds to stand on the podium. Thompson finished in fifth.

Championship Battle Heads to Final Round in Jerez

With these race results, the championship title battle will be decided in the final round. Current ranking leader Salvador has 224 points, maintaining a 12-point lead over second-place Artigas. It was reported that in the previous round at Magny-Cours, Kawasaki's Artigas won Race 2 and Salvador maintained his lead in the rankings, and the fierce battle between the two continues. The title fight for the remaining 50 points is too close to call until the very end.

The battle for third in the rankings is also tight, with race winner Thompson moving up to third with 158 points. Antonio Torres of Team Prodina Kawasaki XCI, who had been in third, finished the race in 10th, leaving him with 157 points and dropping him to fourth, just one point behind Thompson. Torres has been struggling in recent races and will need a comeback on home soil in the final round.

In the mid-pack battle, each rider showed their determination. Fenton Seabright, who joined the podium fight early on, gradually fell back and finished seventh. Pepe Osuna also moved up from 11th on the grid to finish eighth, marking his fifth consecutive top-10 finish. Marco Gaggi of Team BrCorse finished his home round with two consecutive top-10s, securing two of his four top-10 finishes of the 2026 season at this venue.

The final round to conclude the inaugural WorldSPB season will be held in Jerez, Spain. The final round of this memorable first season is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 16th.

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Detailed Race Results:https://resources.worldsbk.com/files/results/2026/CRE/SPB/002/CLA/Results.pdf